Growing up, I was obsessed with Jack the Ripper. Not an unhealthy obsession (maybe?) but more like an incredible curiosity. I read every book on the subject, every documentary, and even went as far as taking a walking tour of the sites he visited during 1888 when I visited London. So, yeah, I am super into it.

So when the Mountasia Family Fun Center in Santa Clarita, CA announced a Jack The Ripper Virtual Reality Haunted House, I jumped all over it!

The brand new, state-of-the-art, multi-sensory virtual reality (VR) experience from Hollow Studios invites guests into one of history’s greatest mysteries. Up to four guests each session will be transported back in time to 1888, when Jack The Ripper roamed the streets, striking fear in the heart of Whitechapel, London.

Before suiting up in VR headsets, guests first enter an old, dark London alleyway where they are recruited as assistants to a Scotland Yard detective. Media based effects tell the backstories of Jack The Ripper and the mysterious Wax House. Once inside, guests search through the creepy old abandoned wax museum, looking for items and clues in hopes of answering the same question that has been on the minds of many for over a century: “Who was Jack the Ripper?”

Creative Executive, David Love of Hollow Studios, teamed up with Michael Fleming, Owner of Mountasia Family Fun Center, to bring Southern California’s newest and most technologically advanced haunted house to life.

Jack the Ripper 1

“The team at Hollow Studios wants the guests to feel what it was like to be in that time period, and to experience something so profound that they will continue talking about it many weeks later “ David Love stated. “Using our cinematic background, we made sure the story came first, then focused on the tiniest of details making sure our guests will be transported to a place they could never go to in the real world.”

To further the immersive elements, guests will be able to pick up and hold virtual items, open drawers, search for clues, all while working together as a team of four moving through the experience in hopes of finding their way out before becoming the next victim.

“I knew right away that this would not only be the talk of Santa Clarita, but all of Southern California,” Michael Fleming stated after experiencing the attraction for the first time. “This is far more than just a virtual reality game. The graphics and visuals really do immerse you in a different time. I felt like I was inside a movie. All the while, I found myself looking over my shoulder, knowing that Jack the Ripper could pop out at any moment.”

Guys, I am 100% on-board for this. This is literally the moment I’ve been waiting for…it was only a matter of time before an immersive, VR Jack the Ripper haunt appeared, and I can die a happy person after this (maybe at the hands of Jack himself?).

Jack The Ripper Virtual Reality Haunted House debuts September 7th and is open select days through Halloween night, October 31. To purchase tickets visit www.HollowZone.com.

About the Author

Jeff Heimbuch writes. A lot. On a variety of things and in different mediums. He also created the fiction podcasts LIGHT HOUSE and RETURN HOME (of which you can find both on all podcasting platforms), loves all things horror, works in social media, and is probably writing something right now. You can find him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @jeffheimbuch.

2 Comments

  1. jonathan Matthews August 31, 2018 at 9:19 am

    Sad this was supposed to open this weekend, but from what we heard, they are having difficulty getting it to work. I went in myself to check it out. Some sites say it is 3000 square feet to walk around. It is roughly less than 1000 square feet.

    • Brian Tull September 3, 2018 at 6:53 pm

      Sometimes it’s better to get off to a late start than made a bad first impression. Regardless, we’ll be headed out there in the very near future, so stay tuned for our verdict.

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